I just had a thought: what about a PortableApps.com OS? I know it's crazy but I think it would be interesting to see how that would go. Even if it is impossible, it's a good idea to ponder.
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there are so many operating systems for various purposes around, what would be the advantage of having one more?
Portable Apps are windows programs so they will run on windows computers even when it not possible for the user to reboot the computer.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I know it's not practical, but I thought it sounded kind of cool. I don't know if anyone would use it...
The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
You create a Windows PE system, add PortableApps files to it, then create a bootable USB drive with it.
Lots of ideas at reboot.pro.
Ed
Where do I find how to do this? I looked at reboot.pro and didn't see that specific idea. I want to create a WinPE 8.0 and add PortableApps.com to it. I currently have tried several times and have not gotten it to work.
https://www.google.com/#q=site%3Areboot.pro+Windows+PE+
Ed
there were lot of people creating their own windows PE disks earlier. It was rather easy to make own collection of software stream it into the iso and here it is, a portable windows XP.
You can boot from it (if allowed) and run to certain extend what ever. To certain extend, as running many programs it is essential to move it to a ram disk.
However the world did move meanwhile and the times of simple and rugged XP are kind of over.
Current computers will refuse to boot in such way. Some advanced knowledge of setting up firmware of a particular computer model is needed. PC as delivered today can boot only microsoft signed boot loaders. This can do microsoft themselves or developers with lot of $$$ so they can have their boot loaders signed by microsoft.
For other small assemblers of bootable operating systems, one has to have access to the firmware of that particular model and find out how to set it to legacy mbr boot method first.
This can not be done by majority of users. They will have no access to firmware setup, or have not the essential information as what has to be changed in the firmware to be able to boot via non signed boot loader.
So the times of bootable life systems are getting to the end currently.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
"So the times of bootable life systems are getting to the end currently."
Oh, i wouldn't be so sure of that just yet.
https://www.google.com/#q=windows+to+go
Ed
it has to be supplied by Microsoft directly, as a product of their own, well then it will work, or the builder of it has to apply at Microsoft for signature of the boot loader.
I think there were only very few big companies so far who were able to purchase the signature for the boot loader. Linux distro based on Ubuntu will work as they have spent the money and had the boot loader signed by Microsoft for example.
What is not possible any more are all those small and 'home made' bootable systems. I have produced many special collections for dedicated purposes with slax linux earlier, but such distros will not work an standard computers unless you figure out how to change setup in the firmware. This will then disable the resident w8 system and might then boot into an older system.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
People are still creating bootable drives, for UEFI systems. For example:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=25269
And Porteus, a Linux system, can be configured to boot on UEFI systems.
I don't think bootable systems are going away just because newer machines are using GPT rather than MBR.
Ed
you have to either figure out how to disable secure boot on your particular firmware if possible at all. This can be simple and self explaining, but can be also hard to figure out or not possible at all (while it should be possible in fact).
So yes, you can do something for your own computer at home, but this will probably not work anywhere else as you will not be allowed to change any settings in the firmware for example.
You can also switch to legacy mode, meaning it will not boot any current OS any more, but will boot what ever you bring on mbr system.
But again, this is not always possible, for at home everybody is clearly velcome to do what he likes.
To make an universally bootable media, you need boot loader either supplied directly by Microsoft or signed by Microsoft.
PC which are sold with w8 preinstalled, must have secure boot enabled in the UEFI firmware according to MS.
I have just some bootable stick here, it is based on Ubuntu and thus it has the MS signed boot loader from Ubuntu.
As the sig is apparently not very cheap, as MS has clearly no particular interest to make it too simple for competitors, the guys who did pay for do not like also very much that those expensive and proprietary bits are distributed free around without any rest of the OS.
Have really no idea how much it should cost, but was one day told something abt 6 figures $ amount.
So yes, one can do it, but will need an operating system as base which has the signed boot loader included.
There are few around, but definitely no small players.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland